Operating systems for managing computer operations in a network typically include one or more control routines by which a file server may send a message to a system administrator if an error or failure occurs in operation of the file server. On some occasions, however, such a message may not reach the system administrator immediately. For example, an error condition may render the server unable to send the message, or the system administrator may not be available to receive the message. A failure to communicate an error condition may lead to downtime, the effects of which could vary from simply annoying to disastrous.
What is needed is a system for notification of file server error that is persistent and automatic, and will not fail if a file server fails. Such a failure-proof notification system should go beyond the confines of the file server system, if necessary, to reach and notify appropriate authorized personnel.